Vijay's action avatar in 'Sethupathi' will stand out: director

Actor Vijay Sethupathi, who has mostly appeared in entertaining roles, will impress audiences in his maiden attempt at full-length action in forthcoming Tamil film "Sethupathi", says its director S.U. Arun Kumar.

"All heroes need a role that can take them to the next league in their careers. 'Sethupathi' will take Vijay to the next level in his career. His full-length action avatar will appeal to audiences and I'm sure it will be welcomed wholeheartedly," Arun told IANS.

He says Vijay was the ideal choice for the film, which releases in cinemas on Friday.

"The fact that we've seen him only in comedies and romantic films convinced me to work with him. I feel the transformation, which he has undergone for this film, has come at the right time in his career. Now, he can choose different roles or go back to do what he's comfortable doing," he said.

Although Arun didn't pen the script for Vijay, he pitched the idea first to him.

"When I developed the idea, the first actor that came to my mind was Vijay. I called him and explained the idea and he instantly agreed," recalled Arun, adding that the film also gave him the opportunity try his hands at a different genre.

Vijay and Arun and previously worked together in Tamil romantic-drama "Pannaiyarum Padminiyum".

"I needed this transformation. I like to work in areas where I'm not comfortable in. I didn't want to get stereotyped in one genre and wanted to experiment. Both of us have undergone drastic transformation with this project," he said.

In the film, Vijay plays an uptight police officer.

"Vijay plays a very realistic cop. Unlike other heroes, he doesn't sport a six-pack abs or flex his muscles in action sequences. He reminds one of a police officer we come across in our everyday lives," he said, and added that the action sequences were shot with a lot of care.

Also starring Remya Nambeesan, the film will appeal to family audiences too, asserts Arun.

"Besides all the action, there's a lovely family angle featuring Vijay and his family. There's romance and comedy to appeal to all kinds of audiences," he said, signing off.